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It's Tough At The Top

What does it take to be a team leader?

Watch the video of David take charge

Taking charge - taking responsibility - is not as a easy as it looks, as some of our trainees found out.

Every team needs a leader and our team of trainees is no exception. Someone has to take charge when Dr Phil and the craftsmen can't be there.

The challenge
Being team leader is tough. It's your job:

to check that people know what they've got to do and by when
to make sure that they've got what they need - the right tools, equipment and materials
to keep things on track, paying particular attention to health and safety
to check the quality of the finished work

You're in charge but you're still part of the team. You have responsibility but no authority. You have to convince the others that you're worth listening to. And you have to motivate and keep them on task. Good communication, people and organisational skills are vital. So is a sense of humour.

Coming ready or not
David became team leader for the day by default. Dr Phil mentioned his name and David put himself forward. With no other volunteers, he got the job. A pep talk from Dr Phil and he was on his way. He looked the part with a smart suit, clipboard and task list. He trusted the others and planned to "lead by example".

The pitfalls
David obviously had a good feel for what he was letting himself in for. But it all went pear-shaped. So, where did he go wrong?

He didn't have long to prepare for the role so he made some pretty basic errors. He could have done with more time to think about how:

to communicate with the team - the others saw a 'toff' giving orders rather than a team leader
to use body language to reinforce his role - this sometimes revealed his uncertainty and gave the others a reason to ignore him
to motivate the team - the others found David's style too heavy handed and serious. Even the thought of an early finish didn't really motivate them
to fit in progress checks - limited checks meant that, at the end of the day, David didn't know who had achieved what
to make decisions - David's relaxed approach left people to their own devices for much of the day. His only real decision was to finish early and that was a mistake that cost the team £600.

Who wants to be Foreman?
David's shot at being team leader didn't put him off. He learned from the experience. He asked people what they thought he'd done wrong and if he should apply for the foreman's job.

He applied. But he told the others to vote for someone who could motivate them, help them work as a team and get the job finished on time. He accepted that it might not be him.

So now, it's Hannah's turn. Things look promising. Her presentation hit all the right notes. She talked about motivating people, working to shared aims, having fun and doing things well and on time. No one challenged her when she said that she got on with everyone.

But, will she have the strength to keep people on task? Will she have the courage to reject shoddy work? Will the others respect her judgements? Only time will tell…

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It's Tough At The Top

Managing People

Pulling Together

Dealing with Conflict

Staying Motivated

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